Is this a scam?
Short answer: this industry has real scams in it, we know exactly what they are, and here’s how to check us against every one.
If you’ve spent an evening reading about companies that buy houses, you will have found warnings. They are not exaggerated.
In 2013 the Office of Fair Trading found that complainants had their offer cut by an average of 22%. Seven in ten of those complaints came from people classed as vulnerable. One case: a seller close to retirement accepted £73,000. The same day the company rang to say it was now £58,000. A courier was sent round that evening to get the new documents signed.
That is the industry you are being careful about. You are right to be.
The six things that actually go wrong
Tap each number — it sits at the exact point in the sale where that trick is played. Under each one: how to check us against it, before you tell us anything.
1The price gets cut just before exchange
A number good enough to win your attention, then a reduction days before completion — when pulling out would cost you the house you're buying, the deposit and another six months.
How to check us: our offer is fixed in writing when you accept it, and the only thing that can change it is named on our price promise page. Ask us to send you the wording before you tell us anything about yourself. We'll send it.
2You get tied into a contract
An exclusivity or option agreement, six or twelve months, sometimes with a restriction registered against your title. The OFT's line on this trade: "We cannot see how these long tie-ins square with the promise of a quick house sale."
How to check us: there is no contract before the sale itself. No exclusivity, no option, no notice on your title, no fee for changing your mind. Stay on the market with your agent while you talk to us — we'd rather you did.
3It isn't a buyer at all — it's a middleman selling your details
Some sites that look like this one don't buy houses; they sell your enquiry on, sometimes to several firms at once — which is why one form can produce a week of phone calls. The tell: no answer anywhere to "who is buying my house?"
How to check us: your contract is always with us and the guarantee is ours. Some houses we keep; some are bought with or sold on to vetted partner purchasers — never without your agreement, in the contract. Company number 13208277 (Portfolio Lab Property Limited) at Companies House; proof of funds the same day you ask; your details go to your solicitor and nobody else.
4The valuation is "revised" after a survey the company controls
A number over the phone, a surveyor of theirs, a lower number — and, the part the regulator singled out, the seller often never shown the survey, even when they'd paid for it.
How to check us: you get the survey. In full, every time, whether or not it changes anything, without asking.
5Fees that appear late
"No fees" that turns out to mean no fees if you use their solicitor — or a valuation charge, or a withdrawal fee, surfacing exactly when leaving feels expensive.
How to check us: nothing, at any stage, for any reason. We pay your legal costs, you use your own solicitor, and walking away before exchange costs you nothing from us.
6Reviews bought, or asked for at the right moment
Some firms ask for the review when you accept the offer — before the survey, before the price moves, before anything can go wrong. Five stars that describe a stage, not an outcome.
How to check us: independent platform, unedited, including the ones we'd rather you didn't read. Never paid for a review, never asked anyone to change one — illegal in Britain since April 2025, and we didn't do it before that either.
Hold every buyer to the six checks above — including us. Anyone who objects to being checked has answered your question for you.
What our badges actually get you, and what they don’t
Property Redress Scheme — our redress scheme
Government-approved, free for you to complain to, and it can order compensation we must pay. Every legitimate property business must belong to a redress scheme — ours is the PRS (the other is The Property Ombudsman). No scheme membership? Walk away.
HMRC anti-money-laundering supervision
We’re supervised by HMRC for anti-money-laundering — it’s why you’ll be asked for ID before completion, and it’s one more register you can check us on. A buyer with no AML supervision is a buyer who never actually buys.
Why we do £500 a day instead
Redress schemes award hundreds, not thousands — The Property Ombudsman’s 2025 figures show an average of £616 per property-sales complaint. Our guarantee passes that on day two. We’d rather your protection came from our contract than from a scheme you spend six months complaining to.
Before you deal with anyone in this trade — including us
- Look the company up at Companies House. Check the registered name matches the name on the website.
- Ask for proof of funds — a bank statement or a letter from their solicitor. Ask before you give them your details.
- Ask who is actually buying the house. If the answer isn’t a straight one, stop.
- Get your own solicitor, and don’t use one the buyer nominates unless you understand why.
- Don’t pay anything. Not a valuation fee, not a survey fee, not a withdrawal fee.
- Don’t sign anything on the day it’s put in front of you. Anyone who objects to that has told you what you needed to know.
- Be suspicious of a perfect review score, and reassured by a mixed one.
- Be suspicious of the highest number you’re quoted. In this trade the firm that offers most on the phone often pays least at completion.
Where to get advice that isn’t from us
If you’re facing repossession, dealing with debt, or paying for a parent’s care, speak to one of these first. They’re free, independent, and they’ll tell you things we have a commercial reason not to.
StepChange · National Debtline · Citizens Advice · MoneyHelper · Shelter · Age UK
Shelter’s guidance on companies like us says: “Some companies make money out of buying homes for less than they are worth.” That is accurate. It is what we do, we tell you the number before you commit, and you should still read what they say.
Tell us your date
There's no obligation and nothing to sign. We'll give you a figure in writing, with our reasoning, and you can take it to anyone you like before you decide.
Or call us: 0191 249 3969 · 8am–8pm, seven days